We all want our carpeting to last as long as possible. We do everything we can to make it last longer and look better but are some of these things hurting our carpet? Read along and learn the 5 biggest mistakes people make with their carpet.

1. Keeping your furniture in the same place. You need to move your furniture around to spread out the wear. If you keep it in the same place, the same strip of carpet is getting worn down all of the time. So try to rearrange your furniture at least once every 6 months.

2. Burning lots of candles. Candles produce smoke and the smoke will settle around furniture and walls. This is essentially smoke damage and can become permanent. Try not to burn candles as much and if you do cut the wicks down so they produce less smoke.

3. Rolling office chairs. Every time you roll back and forth on them you are wearing the carpet. You may think that a chair mat will help but they seldom cover enough of the floor and the carpet around it will still get worn. When you pull up the mat you will have an obvious line where the mat was. Use a chair without wheels to limit the damage.

4. Not vacuuming. Soil is an abrasive and must be removed as soon as possible to limit carpet damage. If you do not vacuum you do not remove this abrasive and it can over time cause extensive permanent damage. Vacuum your carpet at least once per month.

5. Playing chemist. When you get a spot on the carpet, resist the urge to play chemist by using different chemicals from under your sink. Use only those chemicals that say they are safe for use on stain resistant carpeting.

That's it, those are some of the most common mistakes made with carpeting. Avoid them and your carpet will surely benefit.